The Fall of the House of Taisho
by Kanna37
Summary: After a few moments, he murmured, "We are the last, Kagome. I felt it were best if we went together, rather than singly, and alone. Was I wrong in this belief? Would you have preferred to die alone?" 3rd Best Darkfic Dokuga 4th quarter 2010.
1. Part I

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha, nor do I own The Fall of the House of Usher, an Edgar Allen Poe original story that gave me the inspiration for this Halloween tale. I also make no money from this story, writing only for my own gratification.

-oOo-

It was an odd thing to realize as I stopped to stare at the heart of the Western Lands for the first time, that it _was_ the first time. After so many years of being so closely associated with the only two blooded members of that house for most of my life, to actually acknowledge that I had never been to the seat of that illustrious family, was almost astonishing.

Nonetheless, it was also true.

Standing on the final approach to the shiro, backlit by the dying sun, I stared at it, pondering on my familiarity with the brothers Taisho. The younger, Inuyasha, my first love, my mate after the fall of Naraku – until his untimely death in battle ten years after our mating. I grieved terribly for as many years as I had been mated, and then... I put it behind me, and carried on.

And the elder, the scion – Sesshoumaru. Former enemy turned ally, turned friend... and twenty-two years after my mate's death, lover. And still, I had never ventured into his home.

Some might wonder why someone I had been so closely associated with for so many years – for, indeed, it had been years, my mating to Inuyasha having extended my human years to a youkai span, leaving my relationship with Sesshoumaru at almost a hundred years – had never had me in his home. It was a simple answer, really.

For most of our relationship, he had been mated to another. A political mating, nothing more, and she had her own lovers, but still, I would not disrespect her in her domain, and so refused to ever step foot here. And even after her premature death, I had no desire to thrust myself into his home, upsetting his son and heir with my presence.

But... then the curse of the Taisho name struck again, and the heir died... and now, Sesshoumaru himself had sent for me, in such a manner that I could not refuse. He had always been a most persuasive being, after all.

That brings me to now... and my feeling of discomfort, nay, dismay, at the look and feel of his home.

It was easy to see that it was ancient, and had been well-maintained. You could not look to any part of it and see any visible decay... and yet, it gave off a feeling of deterioration, as though it was tired, and ready to fade into nothing but ruins. I could hardly believe that someone as strong and impenetrable as Sesshoumaru lived here.

With a shiver, feeling as though someone had walked over my grave, I stared at the once-magnificent shiro, and wondered _why_ I disliked it so. After all, besides Sesshoumaru, I was technically the last living Taisho, even if it was only by mating to Inuyasha, my relationship with the elder brother notwithstanding. You would think that I would be comfortable entering the place, would you not?

And yet, the opposite was true.

From the moment I had seen the palace, I felt a great reluctance to step foot within its walls. Something was warning me that if I dared to tread its halls, I would not leave alive.

I could not say why I felt that way, though I searched every part of my senses, I could garner no clear answer. At least, not from out here...

Still, I had come this far, and with the past that lay between he and I, I could not in good conscious turn around and leave. After so many years as his lover, I had, indeed, come to love him, though it was an odd love, and I wouldn't abandon him now in his hour of greatest need, no matter the cost to myself.

And so, apprehension pushed into the back of my mind, I set one foot before the other and forced myself to continue, dreading every step I took more than the last.

As the sun finally fell below the horizon with bloody brilliance, I stepped across the threshold of the House of Taisho for the first time...

And the last.


	2. Part II

**Part II**

It was an eerie experience to walk within the walls of that house – what few servants were left carried on the echo of decay that the outside of the palace conveyed, leaving the visitor feeling as though they were surrounded by naught but dusty relics of a decadent past.

I wondered how long this place had truly looked this way.

It seemed to me that the palace sucked the life out of all those that stepped within its confines, leaving them as desiccated as any centuries-old corpse. With every sense I possessed literally screaming, I was quickly aware that this home had, indeed, been cursed – and the curse would not be satisfied until the last Taisho passed from this life.

In that moment, I could only be grateful that I had not had any children with Inuyasha, we, both having expected to have long lifetimes together, had chosen to wait for at least two decades before trying for a first child. It was now evident that that which I had mourned for so long, the lack of a child of our union to comfort me in my widowhood, was actually a blessing in disguise.

For a moment, I considered the possibility of fighting this curse – for I was not a powerless onna by any means... but as I investigated it, I quickly came to understand its unique properties. It had only strengthened as the years had gone by since it had been placed – and I could tell that it was of ancient origin. No one less powerful than one of the kami themselves could now break it, and in that moment, I understood clearly that neither I, nor Sesshoumaru, would be long for this plane of existence.

It was a morbid, and frightening thought... I was not ready to pass from this world. I had hoped for so long to live through the eras to once more see my family, and to be given the knowledge that this would not be so, angered me.

Knowing my fate, and accepting it, were two different things, and I vowed in that moment to fight it with everything within me.

I was not to know, of course, that in mere minutes there would be no fight left in me.

At any rate, in that second, my heart beat within my chest like a trapped bird, and staring at the elderly youkai servant now escorting me towards his Lord's study with a fierce scowl, I fought off the terror and anguish that welled up from my spirit, and settled a calm expression on my now pale face, refusing to allow anyone to see my troubled thoughts.

It was time to face the Master of the house.

I wondered, with a slight thrill of dread, what changes, if any, the sickly atmosphere that prevailed here had wrought in him. He had always been so much larger than life, that it was hard to imagine _anything _changing any part of the aspect of all that was Sesshoumaru.

But as I stepped within the room, it was clear that the power of the curse that lay over this family, this house, had managed what nothing else could have – for the daiyoukai that I had known, and loved, was changed in the most drastic of manners in the months since I had seen him last.

Stoic, controlled, he was still, but his entire demeanor shouted out 'death!' in such a manner that it was apparent he was well aware of his fate. There was a fine tremor in his frame that most would not have noticed – but I am miko, and as his lover of so many years, I was most intimately acquainted with his person, and therefore almost hyper-aware of any changes.

I tried, oh, I tried, to keep my shock at the sallowness of his skin and his haunted mien hidden, but it was to no avail – just as I knew him, so he also knew me, and I could not keep my awareness of his malady from him.

He eyed me solemnly. "You are aware of the curse on this house, are you not?" he asked, and it was easy to see in his eyes that he was weary – he was ready to lay down his arms and accept death.

That, I think, frightened me more than anything else.

I shook my head, not even trying to fight the fear I felt any longer. "Why did you call me here, knowing that this would affect me, as well? And why have you given up?" I cried. After all the years together, could I have been mistaken in his feelings for me? Did he not care at all?

He turned to look out the window, staring out over the bleak, now moonlit landscape with slightly slumped shoulders. "This curse would have found a way to swallow you, even had I not called you here. This is why I was so against you mating Inuyasha all those years ago, miko. But by the terms of the curse, we can not speak of it to any outside of the family. And Inuyasha was not aware of it until later years, because of father's demise at his birth. Some die earlier, and some die later, but _all_ die tragically." He sighed, the sound cold and dry. "This time, finally, the curse has managed to bring about its intention – the utter destruction of this family."

After a few moments, he murmured, "We are the last, Kagome. I felt it were best if we went together, rather than singly, and alone. Was I wrong in this belief? Would you have preferred to die alone?"

How to speak of the despair I felt in that moment? My soul cried out at the harshness of the kami that I had served faithfully for so many years. Could they not have intervened and spared he and I this ignominious fate? But no... it seemed the kami had little compassion for their lowly creations – they probably were not even aware of our sad destiny, too caught up in their own lofty pursuits.

What hurt the worst, however, was not even the thought of my own death – but the bitter defeat that lay thickly in the air surrounding the once indomitable spirit of my inuyoukai. It left the taste of ashes in my mouth, and anguish in my heart.

I could not stand to see him this way.

Setting my own fear aside, I walked up to stand behind him, and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Leaning my head against my hand, I sighed. "No... you weren't wrong. If we must go, then I would rather go together."

He didn't respond verbally, simply reaching up with a hand to entwine my fingers with his in acceptance of my words.

A cold silence filled the room, only sharpened by the stark shadows that the icy moonlight forced through the window as we waited to see how the curse would play out our destruction. We knew not whether we had minutes, or hours, but we both knew that we would not live to see the dawn break upon the tallest peaks of the shiro.

-oOo-

A/N: A great big wave goes out to Raven2010 for the first review of this story! Thank you for all the faithful reviews of all my different stories – they are read and appreciated. That goes for all my reviewers, actually. Whether I have the chance to answer your reviews or not, they are most appreciated by this author!

Amber


	3. Part III

**Part III**

The silence lay thick between us for some time, but finally, questions began to surface in my mind. I wished to know why I was to be condemned to death.

"What was the provenance of this curse, Sesshoumaru?" I asked quietly, for some reason, unable to speak loudly. It almost seemed... sacrilegious in this place, volume speaking of life, when the whole palace breathed death, instead.

He looked up from his seat at his desk, then sighed, and moved to join me near the glowing brazier that dribbled only slight warmth into the room.

"It was placed by an enemy of our house almost a thousand years ago. We had fought them, our families experiencing a bitter rivalry in every aspect. Our house was finally triumphant, destroying the last male of theirs. Unfortunately, the last remaining member of that family was a witch – she cast this curse on us, even as my forefather took her life."

I shuddered; it seemed as though the curse, in a way, was simply sheer justice. But in my mind, it was an abstract justice – those who should have paid the price were already long dead, and Sesshoumaru and I had had no part in that drama from so long ago. Yet, we were soon to pay the ultimate price for the grievances of ancients.

As we continued to sit and stare at the only source of warmth in the room, I slowly began to notice a certain tension in my companion. It seemed that every so often, a series of tremors would assault his flesh, though I, personally, could see no reason for this.

But then, I saw his face turn ever so slightly to the south, and downward, at the same time as those tremors stuck, and that pattern continued to repeat; it occurred to me then that his senses were being engaged by something that was out of my own senses' range.

A suspicion struck me then.

"You know the means of our death, do you not?" I asked quietly, not looking at him in that moment. It was one thing to think it within the silent halls of my own mind; it was another thing entirely to speak it aloud in such a manner.

He stiffened as I spoke, making it even clearer. "Is it truly so terrible?" I murmured, becoming frightened.

"I do not fear this death for myself – but for your sake," he finally said, softly. "And for the separation I fear will be forced upon us in death, as it was not in life."

Nothing he could have said in that moment could have inspired more fear, nay, horror, within me. To be without him?

I knew, in the same way that everyone knows, that the instant of death is always faced alone, no matter how much death is around you, how many others are dying around you. But afterwards? I had expected to join him on the other side...

I turned to him, my face even paler than normal. "Why do you believe that we will be forced away from each other in death? That we will be alone?" I gasped out, my expression pleading for a better answer than what I knew he would probably give.

He shook his silver head slowly, his hair shimmering in the stark lighting. "I did not say we would be alone, my miko," he said slowly. "Just that we will be separated."

He cast me a troubled look in that instant, and in my heart of hearts, I began to understand what he was saying with that look – what he suspected. My shoulders slumped as I acknowledged that his suspicions were probably correct.

In life, we had never really been able to belong to each other – not truly. For I had been mated already, and could not mate again, and he, as well. And even though we had shared ourselves with each other on the death of my mate, and continuing through the death of his, still, we belonged with others, even in death.

Truly, we had not been meant to be together, in life or in death. Perhaps... we could be in another life?

But that was something that I would never know, and all I could do was grieve for the loss in _this _life. I did not want to lose him.

Even if he were correct, and we would be greeted on the other side by our respective mates, I was not comforted; I had loved Inuyasha, yes... but that had been long ago, almost in another life. I had spent more years without him, than I had with him – and more years with Sesshoumaru, despite his mated status, and our separate living situations.

I did not want to leave him.

I spent so much time dwelling on the unfairness of our circumstances, and impending separation, that I did not notice the insidious cold that had begun creeping up seemingly from below us.

At least, not until Sesshoumaru's manner broke through my preoccupation...

And then I knew.

It was time.


	4. Part IV

**Part IV**

Within the sudden chaos inside my mind, an odd thought forced itself into prominence, and begged an answer.

"Sesshoumaru?" I asked, voice oddly calm. "What of the servants?"

His voice, also calm, answered immediately. "They left this house the moment you arrived. They need not share our fate."

I nodded, such a solemnity of spirit weighing upon me then that I almost felt as though my back was bowed beneath the weight of my sorrow.

My thoughts were interrupted when Sesshoumaru reached over and, almost hesitantly, took my hand. When I did not pull away, he met my gaze with a haunted, saddened one of his own, and then tugged me towards the beautiful rice paper covered door.

"Come, my Lady. It is incumbent upon us to meet our fate with dignity. Therefore, let us go forth to greet it, rather than await it here. I would not be seen cowering in fear," he sighed. "Not even of death."

I was not surprised at his words; Sesshoumaru had never feared anything in his life, that he refused to meet death in any way but head on was no shock at all. For myself, I was not sure if I could have done the same – at least, not without his presence to give me courage.

Inhaling deeply as I attempted to fortify my own heart, my mind began to take note of its surroundings, in an almost idle fashion, as my spirit sought to forget the doom I was headed for. The palace, which, up until this moment, had felt so cold, and decayed, as though it were more old mausoleum than home, was now warming.

But while one would think it would be a welcome difference, it was not, and as the Master of the house and I walked along, I frowned. The heat was hard, disturbingly noxious, as though the house were echoing the fires of hell itself. And the further down we went, the hotter it seemed to get.

"Sesshoumaru, where do we go?" I asked, starting at the distorted sound of my own voice. It seemed the atmosphere of the shiro was having an actual effect – it wasn't just inside my own mind.

He did not answer me at first, merely continuing along the hall we were in, then down a last set of stairs; we were well below the first floor of the palace, now, and as we came to the bottom of the steps, I looked around uneasily – the walls were all stone, and uncut - this was a natural cave system.

We were inside the earth, now.

For some reason, in that moment, my mind flashed back to the walk we had taken to arrive where we were, and I grasped onto my memories of it, hoping to find the way back out, back to freedom, back to _life_ – in the instant that I understood where we were, my very soul cried out to run, to get away from the fate that the curse had in store for me.

I froze; the need my soul felt to escape suddenly at war with a strange apathy flooding my body and taking control of my flesh. All I could do was stare at the heavy iron door that we both stood before with dread, though inside, my heart was screaming.

It was clear that Sesshoumaru was in much the same state as I was, though he seemed to control his fear better than I.

"This place," I gasped out, and he flicked a strangely colorless glance at me. He understood my question, and the fact that it wasn't really a question, but rather, a confirmation, that I wanted.

"The crypt of the Taisho family lies behind this door, miko. Your mate, as well as my own, lie here – as does every ancestor that this hated curse took. All lie here," he murmured, "... as will we."

We both stared at the door for several minutes. I knew not his thoughts, but my own were frightened; I felt as though my breath were being sucked from my lungs as a million tons of rock pressed down on me, and I longed for the outside world, longed to be away from this terrible place with everything that lay within me.

That something so fair at one time, as it was obvious this place had once been, had become so dark and tainted, so wicked, brought to mind a poem that I had read, once upon a time. It was so apropos of this situation I had found myself in, that I could almost believe it had been written by one of the aforementioned Taisho ancestors. My mind ran through it almost unwillingly...

In the greenest of our valleys,

By good angels tenanted,

Once a fair and stately palace—

Radiant palace—reared its head.

In the monarch Thought's dominion—

It stood there!

Never seraph spread a pinion

Over fabric half so fair.

II

Banners yellow, glorious, golden,

On its roof did float and flow;

(This—all this—was in the olden

Time long ago)

And every gentle air that dallied,

In that sweet day,

Along the ramparts plumed and pallid,

A wingèd odor went away.

III

Wanderers in that happy valley

Through two luminous windows saw

Spirits moving musically

To a lute's well-tunèd law,

Round about a throne, where sitting

(Porphyrogene!)

In state his glory well befitting,

The ruler of the realm was seen.

IV

And all with pearl and ruby glowing

Was the fair palace door,

Through which came flowing, flowing, flowing

And sparkling evermore,

A troop of Echoes whose sweet duty

Was but to sing,

In voices of surpassing beauty,

The wit and wisdom of their king.

V

But evil things, in robes of sorrow,

Assailed the monarch's high estate

(Ah, let us mourn, for never morrow

Shall dawn upon him, desolate!);

And, round about his home, the glory

That blushed and bloomed

Is but a dim-remembered story

Of the old time entombed.

VI

And travelers now within that valley,

Through the red-litten windows, see

Vast forms that move fantastically

To a discordant melody;

While, like a rapid ghastly river,

Through the pale door,

A hideous throng rush out forever,

And laugh—but smile no more.

I didn't realize that I had spoken aloud until Sesshoumaru laughed; it was dark and cold, no speck of amusement in it. "How appropriate, miko. What is it called?"

I shivered. "The Haunted Palace."

"Hnn." He said no more, instead seeming to be listening intently, and I became rather morbidly curious. He had led us here, and then... nothing. It was as if he were waiting, and though I didn't want to know what he was waiting for, conversely, I also _did_ want to know.

"What is it you are listening for, Sesshoumaru?" I asked softly.

He turned to look at me then, his perfect face so beautiful; I knew that I would always remember him thus, no matter the fate that awaited us. After a few moments of looking into my frightened visage, his eyes softened, and he caressed my cheek with elegant clawed fingers and deep regret.

"I could only wish that you had never been dragged into this, Kagome," he said, grief clear in his expression. "I had sworn so long ago to protect you, I promised my otouto after your mating, that should anything happen to him, I would do so. But this is something that I cannot save you from... nor did I ever think that it would be he that you needed saving from. I could never have foreseen the manner in which the curse would come for us..."

As soon as he finished speaking, and before I could even process the horror that his words evoked within me, there came a grating sound, one of iron scraping over stone...

And I watched in frozen terror as the door to the crypt began to open... from the _inside. _Slowly, so, so slowly, it inched its way open, and I swung frightened eyes to my lover, even as the torches that lined the walls flared up, setting the somber black silk hangings afire.

Regret still visible in his eyes, Sesshoumaru ran one finger across my lips for the last time, and then stepped back from me. As the fire began to race across the wooden stairs leading out, I knew our only escape was gone; we were trapped – forever doomed to remain here, our bodies scorched back into the dust that we came from.

I watched Sesshoumaru turn back to face the still opening crypt door, and frightened as I was, I still could not help but be struck by his unearthly beauty as the fire limned him in hellish brilliance. His voice was the last thing I heard before the roar of the flames took my hearing...

"From the moment that I saw you in my father's tomb, I loved you, Taisho Kagome, and though I will not see you again, I will still love you until the world ends and time is no more. Remember that always." And then he was gone, sucked into the black void behind the now open door; as I looked up in shock and terror and endless, panic-stricken grief, I saw what awaited me beyond it...

My consciousness began to fade out as the fire screamed through the palace above me, and my mate's face was the last thing I saw before I was thrown into a bleak and lonely eternity without the one who I had come to love above any other.

-oOo-

A/N: And... done. No, no happy ending – Poe is not a happy ending author, and though I didn't follow his story exactly, as those who have read it will be aware, still – this was written in a Poe-esque style, and so could not end in a manner the great author would not himself have ended one of his tales.

At that, I am happy this one is over – I have a very hard time writing true dark, angsty stuff that doesn't have a happy ending. Especially with Sess/Kag – I just have too much of a crush on Sesshoumaru to like doing mean things to him.

At any rate, I hope ppl enjoyed it for the genre it was representing, and took it in the Halloween spirit. As for the poem contained within, it was an actual poem from the story The Fall of the House of Usher, and it is called The Haunted Palace. Since Poe wrote it, that means I do not own it.

Amber


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